Improving LED (Light Emitting Diode) light efficiency is a top priority for realizing a solid-state illuminator. There are two approaches to improve LED light efficiency: one is to increase LED internal quantum efficiency, and the other is to increase LED external quantum efficiency (LED light extraction efficiency).
Improving the quality of epitaxial material can most directly and obviously promote internal quantum efficiency. An ELOG (Epitaxial Lateral Over-Growth) technology is used to improve the quality of epitaxial material, wherein gallium nitride layer is laterally overgrown on the substrate having patterned silicon-dioxide strips, and whereby threading dislocations are reduced, and internal quantum efficiency is increased.
An LEPS (Lateral Epitaxial Pattern Substrate) technology, which was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,870,193, has the same effect as ELOG. The LEPS technology uses a dry- or wet-etching method to form patterns on the substrate, which not only has a simple fabrication process but also can reduce the time for epitaxial growth. This technology can also effectively reduce threading dislocations and increase LED light efficiency.
There is a great difference between the refractive indexes of a semiconductor and a packaging material; therefore, an LED usually has a small total reflection critical angle. The light generated by LED reaching an interface by an angle greater than the total reflection critical angle will be totally reflected back to the interior of the LED chip. Then, the probability that light leaves a semiconductor from an interface decreases, and photons can only be totally reflected inside a chip until they are completely absorbed and converted into heat. Thus, LED has an insufficient light efficiency.
Changing the geometry of LED is an effective measure to improve LED light efficiency. A U.S. Pat. No. 6,870,193 disclosed a semiconductor light emitting element, which has a concave and/or convex structure formed on the substrate. Compared with a planar substrate, such a structure can scatter or diffract the horizontally-propagating light with the concave or convex structure and thus can greatly promote external quantum efficiency. Further, applying ELOG to the concave or convex structure of the substrate can reduce the threading dislocations of the gallium nitride layer and promote the internal quantum efficiency of LED.
In the abovementioned conventional technology, the fabrication process of the concave or convex structure includes: forming a passivation layer on a substrate; patterning the geometry of the concave or convex structure on the passivation layer with a photolithographic process; and etching the substrate to form the concave or convex structure with a dry- or wet-etching method. However, such a process is more complicated and cost-inefficient, which will impair the commercialization of LED.